Although there are many reasons why a person may choose to stay in active addiction, fear of withdrawal is one of the biggest and most common, keeping individuals locked in the cycle of addiction. Of course, the countless consequences of addiction often evoke the desire to stop using alcohol or drugs; however, the intensity of physical withdrawal that occurs in the absence of drugs like heroin, painkillers, benzodiazepines, and alcohol cause many people to give in to lives of continued reliance on these chemical substances. That’s where we come in.
Time and again, Malvern Treatment Centers has been referred to as Pennsylvania’s most effective medically-monitored and comfortable alcohol and drug detox facilities. This means that we provide a safe environment and a level of comprehensive care so that individuals can detox in safety and comfort rather than alone. It’s sometimes said that detoxification is one of the most tenuous and delicate phases in the recovery process, but the support we provide as part of detoxification treatment puts a new life within grasp.
What is Detoxification?
According to America Addiction Centers: “Detoxification, or detox, generally refers to the process of removing toxins from the body. In the case of substance use, detox specifically refers to the period of time that the body is allowed to process or metabolize any drugs and alcohol in the system and, in doing so, clears their toxic influence.”
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol or drugs isn’t something that can happen overnight. Instead, addiction recovery is a process with several important stages. For most forms of chemical dependency, the stage of recovery that immediately follows intervention is detoxification. As the word “detoxification” suggests, this phase entails cleansing the body of alcohol, drugs, and any other harmful toxins, restoring it to a state of overall physical health. More specifically, the goal of alcohol and drug detoxification is to help a patient break his or her physical dependence on mind-altering drugs.
By the end of detoxification treatment, he or she should no longer be physically addicted to alcohol or drugs. This means that the potential for withdrawal becomes minimum, allowing the patient to focus on the mental and emotional aspects of the recovery process as he or she progresses to more advanced stages of rehabilitation.
Our Detoxification Locations: Malvern, Willow Grove
Detoxification at the Malvern Treatment Centers
There are several key ways that we distinguish detoxification treatment at Malvern from most other detox programs.
Each of Malvern Treatment Center’s detoxification programs — from alcohol detox to heroin detox and everything in-between — provides continuous supervision and monitoring due to our nurses, clinical assistants, and technicians available around the clock. Beyond the constant medical support, our detoxification treatment offers patients the benefit of 82 hours of psychiatric care per week. To alleviate discomfort, medication may be offered to patients as they detox; the medications we implement are medically approved, monitored, and have been proven effective for our uses by extensive research studies. On average, medication-assisted detoxification lasts about eight days, during which time the dose is tapered to mitigate discomfort as well as cravings. Meanwhile, patients are assigned their primary counselors and are able to begin meeting with them immediately. During this time, residential treatment groups are optional although those who wish to participate can attend as many as they wish.
As you can see, many of the key features of Malvern Treatment Center’s detox treatment aren’t things you’ll find at many other alcohol and drug detox centers, whether in Pennsylvania or elsewhere. But even more important than the level of care we provide is the compassion and individualization that are hallmarks of our approach to addiction treatment. We have been guiding men and women through the annals of alcohol and drug detoxification since 1948, which is why our recovery services are considered some of the best in greater Philadelphia and even the entire country. If you have any questions about detoxing at Malvern, or if you have questions about other aspects of the Malvern Model, call us anytime at 610.647.0330.
Alcoholism and Medically-Monitored Detox Treatment
Although detoxing from any substance has its difficulties, alcohol is widely considered to be the most difficult of all. Because it’s legally available and legal to consume, alcohol is underestimated by most people in terms of its addictive potential. It’s also for this reason that alcohol is the most problematic of all mind-altering substances with more alcoholics and more people abusing alcohol than any other substance. The main reason alcohol is so addictive and alcohol detox is so difficult is because of how alcohol affects the brain. When a person consumes alcohol, the brain’s neurochemical balance is thrown off, particularly with regard to a neurotransmitter known as GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). Among all the brain’s neurochemicals, GABA is responsible for helping us to feel more calm and relaxed, particularly during times of stress. The consumption of alcohol artificially raises the amount of GABA in the brain, causing many of the characteristics of alcohol intoxication; for instance, increased GABA levels are associated with decreased coordination, slurred speech, and so on. As a person develops an addiction to alcohol, the brain produces less and less GABA on its own. Since alcohol artificially increases GABA levels, the brain realizes it can depend on the individual’s daily alcohol consumption instead of having to produce GABA naturally; however, this means that the individual experience a deficit whenever he or she is, for whatever reason, unable to consume alcohol. Not only does this cause stress, the brain is no longer producing the GABA needed to overcome that stress, resulting in the symptoms we’ve come to associate with alcoholic withdrawal.
Symptoms of untreated alcoholic withdrawal:
- Raised blood pressure
- Rapid heartbeat
- Paranoia
- Feelings of anxiety and panic
- Sweating
- Physical discomfort
These symptoms are unpleasant on their own, but those who suffer from severe alcoholism could develop life-threatening withdrawal symptoms like seizures or a condition known as delirium tremens. Delerium tremens is a severe form of alcohol withdrawal involving severe mental or nervous system changes. For these reasons, it’s strongly recommended that alcoholics begin the recovery process with a medically-monitored alcohol detox treatment.
At Malvern Treatment Centers, we offer a detoxification program that covers all the necessary bases. Patients are monitored and receive medical care around the clock, ensuring that the detox process never becomes severe or life-threatening. Moreover, our use of medications to aid in the alcohol detox process now only makes the detox process safer, it mitigates a lot of the discomfort that a patient would experience if he or she attempted to detox on his or her own. Perhaps most importantly, we recognize that every patient has his or her own unique needs and recovers at his or her own pace; therefore, our medically-monitored alcohol detox program is individualized to such a degree that no patient proceeds to the inpatient phase of recovery until he or she has fully completed detoxification. Between the high level of individualization, the medication tape, and round-the-clock care and supervision, we are proud to say that the patients who have completed our alcohol detox treatment have high rates of success in detoxification.
Heroin Detox Treatment
The Malvern Model of Care has been repeatedly referred to as one of the best addiction treatment programs, both in Pennsylvania and nationwide. Especially when it comes to heroin and prescription opioid detoxification, our facilities and curriculum have gained national prominence and raised the bar in the addiction treatment industry. In light of the nationwide spike in heroin use, heroin addiction is surely one of the most important addictions that we treat. Our unique and inclusive approach to helping individuals who suffer from heroin and painkiller addiction begins with heroin detox treatment. One of the main features of heroin detox treatment at Malvern is the fact that we pair each of our patients with a primary counselor while still completing detox treatment.
Patients beginning the Malvern Model of Care can receive detoxification treatment for addiction to:
- Hydrocodone
- Oxycodone
- Hydromorphone
- Tramadol
- Oxymorphone
- Morphine
- Fentanyl
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
- Numerous others
As with alcohol detoxification, we may offer patients special medications to aid in the opioid detoxification process, which lessens the intensity of withdrawal and helps patients to build a foundation for lifelong recovery.
Benzodiazepine Detox Treatment
After alcohol, benzodiazepines are often cited as the second-most difficult of all drugs from which to detox. The reason that benzodiazepines detox is so difficult is because benzodiazepines have a very similar effect on the brain as alcohol, causing a spike in GABA and resulting in the brain producing less and less GABA on its own. As an individual becomes physiologically dependent on benzodiazepines, his or her brain comes to rely on benzodiazepines as the sole source of GABA. Unfortunately, this puts the individual in grave danger anytime he or she is unable to consume benzodiazepines since a lack of benzodiazepines in the system means experiencing a GABA deficit. If an individual addicted to benzodiazepines would attempt to detoxify on his or her own, it’s possible that his or her untreated withdrawal symptoms could become life-threatening, which is why quality benzodiazepine detox treatment is so important.
Mitigating the symptoms of benzodiazepine withdrawal while ensuring patient safety requires detox treatment that incorporates the highest-quality medical care as well as expert clinical staff and a safe environment; fortunately, we offer all these things and more at Malvern Treatment Centers. Patients detoxing from benzodiazepines at Malvern Treatment Centers receive a level of care that’s without compare. It is our top priority that all patients be as comfortable and safe as possible throughout the benzodiazepine detox process, which we achieve by staffing our facilities with industry-leading professionals around the clock. Moreover, patients can choose to participate in residential groups and primary therapy while completing detox treatment. Since we assign each patient his or her primary psychotherapist while in detox treatment, patients may choose to begin seeing their psychotherapists while completing detox treatment since our psychotherapists are available for 82 hours each week. To put it simply, our benzodiazepine detox treatment is without compare. We offer detox treatment for virtually any type of benzodiazepine:
- Alprazolam
- Diazepam
- Lorazepam
- Clonazepam
- Many others
Offering Treatment for Many Substances
In addition to alcohol, opioids, and benzodiazepines, Malvern Treatment Centers offers treatment for other substances including:
- Cocaine and crack cocaine
- Crystal methamphetamine
- Synthetic and designer drugs (i.e., synthetic cathinones, synthetic marijuana, etc.)
- Prescription stimulants
- Marijuana
- Ecstasy and MDMA
- Many others
No matter the drug to which you or your loved one is addicted, the detoxification treatment offered at Malvern Treatment Centers is always recommended. Our detoxification program ensures each patient’s safety and comfort while also introducing them to the clinical continuum of care. In short, the goal of our detoxification treatment is to help each patient begin the transition from active addiction to a state of sustained recovery. If you would like to learn more about Malvern’s detoxification treatment, or for any other questions or concerns, please fill out the form below or call us anytime at 610.647.0330.